72% of Scots admit they would keep lottery win a secret from friends and family

Published:19:20Friday 23 February 2018

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In the event of a lottery win, 72% of Scots say they would hide the news from friends and family in a bid to keep the winnings for themselves.

This is according to research conducted by online lottery platform Jackpot.com that asked how much money Brits would have to win in order to hide the life-changing news from those closest to us.

On average, Scots would keep the money under wraps upon winning a jackpot of £10.9m or more. Generation Z however, are much more reserved and would conceal the win for a fifth of that – £223,529.

Nearly a third of married Brits (29%) said that no amount could make them hide the win from their partner, and it seems women are more inclined to share news of their good fortune with their other halves than men – 48% and 41% respectively.

Regionally, the Welsh are the keenest to share news of their winnings (32% would not hide for any amount) – in direct contrast to the 84% of Londoners who have a specific figure in mind.

The most forthcoming regions in the UK are:

Wales – 32% would not hide their winnings from loved ones for any amount

East Anglia – 28%

Scotland – 28%

Midlands – 27%

North East – 27%

South East – 27%

Yorkshire – 26%

South West – 20%

Northern Ireland – 18%

London – 16%

One quarter (26%) of Brits seemingly aren’t concerned about their kids being raised with a silver spoon in their mouth as they report they’d always be honest about a jackpot.

With the majority of the nation putting a number on keeping the win to themselves, the expectation is that they are also keeping the money to themselves – and they have grand plans for what they would do with their winnings.

Scots revealed they would need to win a minimum of £10.8m in order to retire early – with women across the UK proving to be a lot more cautious on this front than men (£31m versus £14m).

The research showed that Scottish people would unleash their inner entrepreneur and start their own business if they won £7.9m; they would take a gap year and go travelling if they were to win £29.2m; but it would take a much bigger prize pot (£48.9m) they would relocate and move abroad for good.

When it comes to extravagant purchases, it appears Scots have been inspired by multi-millionaires such as Roman Abramovich and Sir Richard Branson, listing buying a football club or a private island as their ultimate dream and would do this if their lottery winnings were £14.3m and £24.1m respectively.

Pablo Grunbaum, COO of Jackpot.com commented: “Lotteries all over the world have the power to change lives for lucky winners. We know from first-hand experience that many people’s first thought after a win is how they can improve the lives of loved ones.

“However, our latest research clearly shows that this isn’t the case for all! It’s interesting to see that many have loftier ambitions and would rather set up a dream business or relocate than share with family members. Our new subscription model allows lottery players to never miss a draw, meaning that their dreams of travelling the world or owning their own football club won’t be dashed by forgetting to enter!”

Jackpot.com currently provides users the chance to bet on the outcome of 19 of the biggest and most popular lottos from around the world, including US Powerball, EuroMillions, US Megamillions, German Lotto, Irish Lotto and more.